Veterinarian at your Service
Vincent Maximilian Patureau was a veterinarian in Lafayette, Louisiana, circa 1914.
My great grandfather Vincent Maximilian Patureau (father of our beloved Mee Maw) had an interesting life. He is usually referred to as “Grampa Max” so I’m going to call him Max.
Max was born in Bagdad, Mexico during the Civil War in 1865 to Ferdinand Pierre and Marie Emma Landry Patureau. The family was in Mexico to get away from the turmoil of the Civil War. There were also some Patureau relatives who lived in the Metamoras, Mexico/Brownsville, Texas area. They were the family of Ferdinand’s sister Victorine Patureau Laulom. Bagdad was a small town that grew suddenly during the Civil War due to its port that helped with cotton trade.
Ferdinand’s family returned to Louisiana and made their home in Plaquemine, Louisiana, shortly after Max was born and the Civil War was over. Bagdad declined after that and was then destroyed by a hurricane in 1889. It was never rebuilt and the port was abandoned.
Max grew up in Iberville Parish where his father worked in the sawmill/lumber industry. Ferdinand eventually had his own sawmill and Max began to work in that industry as well. When Max was 11, his father died as a result of an accident at the sawmill. He might have been one of the children to witness the accident that led to his father’s death.
In 1888 at age of 23 he married Marie Therese Landry, who was his 2nd cousin through the Landry line (His father married a Landry and his daughter did, too. Three generations of Patureau/Landry marriage). Their first child was born 10 months later. Several others followed, though some did not make it past infancy. In 1904 he became co-owner of a store, in 1906 he was a witness to a lynching, and in 1909 his wife died. The store closed in 1913 and the family moved to Lafayette.
When in Lafayette Max began practicing the art of veterinary science. From what I’ve heard, he was self-taught. From the photo I posted of the shingle he hung when setting up practice, being self taught did not stop him from putting Dr. in front of his name. From what I’ve noticed lately, everything is a lot more regulated now than it was back then.
The picture is of Max drinking a beverage from a nice cup while standing next to an old car. It was with a group of photos from his veterinary practice. Maybe it was part of an advertising campaign. I think it was meant to be humorous. An old horse doctor who goes out to farms to fix up the animals dressed up all fancy and drinking properly from a nice cup. I like it. What do you think?
Circa 1915 – The shingle that my great grandfather Vincent Maximilian Patureau hung in front of his practice in Lafayette.